The Fire Within
by Sharley Keen
Summary: The Organization is tearing Axel and Larxene apart, and they want to be free... badly. In their desperate situation, they go to DiZ for help, and he might just have a way to free them... and all the Nobodies in existince. COMPLETE!
1. The Beginning

Axel stood before the computers of the Twilight Town Mansion Basement. On the screen were the plans to build "Castle Oblivion," a new base of operations for Organization XIII. He had no intention of going to that place. He could barely even stand it here. All he wanted was to be free, free to be with Larxene. Of course, that would be a crazy dream to all Orgnaization members, for they would never be free. Unless all the Orgnaization members were gone, Axel would never be able to take of the black cloak. Even though it sounded like a simple plan, it was no easy task. ALL the Organization members would have to be gone, even himself and Larxene. "God, I hate this place," Axel whispered to himself. Then he took out one of his weapons and lit it on fire. "Damn Organization thinks it can do whatever the heck it wants..." Axel raised his firey weapon, "No way am I going to another stupid castle!" Axel struck the computer once, then twice, then three times before he finally gave up. "You know that won't stop the Or  ganization from building it," said a mysterious voice from the back of the room. "Shut up, DiZ, of course I know. Just..." "...Leave you alone?" said the man named DiZ, "So you can do what? Waste your time moping about the future?" "I said... SHUT UP!" said Axel, and threw his weapon at DiZ. The weapon merely bounced of DiZ's chest and landed on the floor. "Please. This is not the Axel I know. The Axel I know is cocky and always causing trouble. This one is mopey and emotional. Is this about Larxene?" asked DiZ. "It's none of your buisness." said Axel. Then the weapon he had just thrown materialized in his hand, and Axel sheathed it. "Hm. I see. You know, I just might have a solution to your problem." said DiZ, putting his hand under his chin, as if he was thinking. "Oh yeah? What's that? kill off all the Organization members untill only Larxene and I are left? I thought you of all peop  le would know that," Axel said. "I do, but just listen. Do you know who first started the Organization?" asked DiZ. "That's easy. Xemnas did. Why do you ask?" Axel asked, cocking his head to one side. "Because that's what I thought you'd say. Xenon was the actuall founder." said DiZ. "Never heard of him. Who is he?" "About thirty years ago, a Nobody named Xenon and his accomplice Lexen created a cloak that would bind the wearer to one group forever: Organization XIII. So they duplicated this cloak and they began the first Organization. Eventually they were defeated by the Keybearer at that time, who's name I don't recall. Xenon and Lexen barely escaped with their lives, and built a huge door that you know as the Door to Darkness, which was recently closed by Sora and his friends. So, the only way to free yourself and Larxene is to destroy the Door completely," said DiZ. "I'm in. when do we start?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So? What do you think? I've compltely redone the entire prologue, so hopefully my lovely viewers will like it better! plz review! 


	2. Journey's Start

Axel returned to The World That Never Was and entered the castle. He made his way to Larxene's room and knocked on the door. When Larxene answered it, she hugged him and said, "Welcome back, Axel." She pulled away from him and invited him inside. Axel sat on her bed and Larxene turned to face him, leaning back on the door. "Listen, I have an idea..." Axel began. TEN MINUTES LATER..."Uh-uh. I am not going to allow you to throw away your life just for freedom," said Larxene, when Axel had told her about his plan to be free. "And even if you did destroy the Door, we'd still have the whole Organization to go through." 'But Larxene, don't you think we could handle them? I mean, it's not like we're weak," countered Axel. "You're missing the point. Yes, we might be able to make it through a few of them, but don't you think we'd be worn out when the final battle came, IF we even managed to destroy the door? No, we're going to think this through thoroughly. There has to be another way," said Larxene, looking out her    bedroom window to observe The World That Never Was' city. Axel stood up from where he was sitting on her bed and came to put his arms around her waist. "I have full confidence that we'll come out of this alive." Larxene pulled away from him and walked across the room. she paced back and forth for five minutes, not saying a word. Finally, she said, "Okay, fine. We'll give this a shot. However, If anything should happen, we're coming back here and thinking of something else." "Larxene, I don't think they're just going to let us come back. If we go, we go all the way." said Axel. Seeing the worried look on her face, Axel walked over to her and pulled her into a tight embrace, putting one hand on her head and gently stroking her head. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered. "You say that like I'm a fragile girl that needs to be protected." Larxene said with a chuckle. Axel pulled away, holding only her hands. "You'd rather I do nothing, then?" Axel said, grinning. "No! just... treat m   e like a partner as well as a lover." Larxene said. "If any one else saw you now, I bet they would so surprised they'd faint, wake up, then faint again. Larxene laughed. Axel loved it when she laughed. It was so... heartwarming. Maybe it was love, maybe it was because she rarely laughed at all. Axel didn't care. He just loved... her. The next day, Axel went to the Alter of Naught to talk with Xemnas. He and Larxene would be gone for a long time, and the rest of Organization XIII would probably figure out what they were up to, but it couldn't hurt to have an excuse. "Who knows, maybe it'll keep them off our tails for awhile," Axel said to himself. As he climbed the staircase, he thought of what DiZ had said the day before, "So, to free both yourself and Larxene, you must destroy the Door to Darkness." That was going to take awhile. How would they do it, anyway? Obviously they couldn't just hack it down... but    wait! They could destroy it from the inside... but how would they get inside the Door? You couldn't just open it... Axel shook away the thought. I'll figure it out when I get there, he thought. When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Xemnas staring at the heart-shaped moon- Kingdom Hearts. "Isn't it glorious?" he said, looking at it with eyes filled with longing. Axel remembered how he used to look at Larxene like that. But that's not why he was here... "Larxene and I need to go on an expedition to all the worlds. We might be gone for awhile." Xemnas took his gaze away from Kingdom Hearts to look at Axel. "What? Why? We know where the Keybearer is... why would you want to make such a long trip?" Axel thought hard of an excuse, and then it came. "I want to make sure that all the keyholes are sealed. You know we can't have heartless running wild everywhere." Xemnas looked at Axel questioningly, but finally said, "Very well. Be back here in five month's time." "Thanks, Xemnas." Axel started to walk away, but Xe   mnas cut him off. "Oh, and Axel, I know of your... 'Relations' with Larxene. It would be wise to end your relationship now, before anything serious happens. Love is not our way." "Okay," said Axel, but his mind was thinking of something entirely different involving one of his weapons and Xemnas' dismembered head. Axel walked to Larxene's room and found her rummaging through her things to find what looked like her claws, since one pair was already located. "I don't mean to be rude, but we've got five months to get back here, and-" "Can it. I'm kinda stressed right now," said Larxene, who had finally located her claws. "There. Now, do you have your... whatever they're called?" "Yes. I guess we can go," Axel said, heading for the door. "Wait!" said Larxene, "Did you talk to Xemnas?" "Yes. He thinks we're searching the worlds to see if there are any remaining heartless in them." "That'll do us some good, but eventually he'll realize we lied. This'll take a lot more than five months," said Larxene worriedly.    Axel pulled her into a reasuring hug. "Eh. We can handle him, right?" Larxene returned the hug. "You bet." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As soon as Larxene and Axel were out of the castle, Larxene said, "Oh-no! How're we going to get from one world to the next?" Axel put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Take it easy. There's a portal at the end of each world. Hey, chin up. Don't be so stressed. We'll make it through this, okay?" Larxene took in a big breath and exhaled. "Okay, I'm calm. Let's do this." Axel and Larxene walked side by side for about ten minutes, when ten Neo Shadows rose from the ground and circled around the both of them. Axel drew his weapons and Larxene unsheathed her claws. They were back to back, and the Neo Shadows were closing in. Axel lit his weapons on fire, and threw them at the Neo Shadows. Axel hit two and then the weapons circled back and hit two more. Axel caught them in each hand and swung a  t the Neo Shadow on his left. Direct hit! The remaining Neo shadow on Axel's right side pounced on him and sliced his back. Axel winced from the pain but threw the Neo Shadow off his back. After he got up, however, the Neo Shadow tried to pounce again. This time Axel threw one of his weapons at the Neo Shadow, killing it before it could even get close to him. Axel turned back to see if Larxene was alright, but she was just finishing the last one by using her speed to cut the Neo Shadow in half when he looked. Axel   was breathing heavily, as was Larxene. "Nice...one." he said. "No...problem..." Larxene replied. After they caught their breath, they continued on their journey. When they finally got to the portal, Larxene hesitated. Axel sensed her uneasy-ness. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What if we don't come back? What if we..." "...Die? I would NEVER let that happen. Don't worry. Here..." Axel held out his hand, and Larxene took it. "I love you," she said. "Ditto," said Axel. So, they both stepped through the portal leading to Twilight Town. (Sweet! They?re on their way! Please review!) 


	3. Twilight Town

Axel and Larxene stepped through the portal and appeared in Twilight Town. It was unusually empty and quiet. Axel looked around suspiciously and started to walk forward. They had materialized in the Sandlot, where the town brawls were usually had. Axel stepped on the mini-stadium and looked around. Larxene was right on his heels, watching his back. "Coast is clear from back here, Axel," said Larxene, but keeping an eye out just in case. "It just seems... so quiet... something bad is going to happen, I know it." said Axel. At that moment, a huge, dark arm reached up out of the ground and grabbed Larxene. "AXEL!!!" Larxene screamed, and Axel quickly turned around and grabbed Larxene's arm. He managed to pull her to safety, but the arm grabbed the ground, as if pulling itself up. Then another arm like it came up and did the same. Soon, a huge demon rose from the ground. The Guardian. "RUN!!!" Axel screamed, and Larxene grabbed Axel and used her amazing speed to dash from alley to alley, the Guardian following them and destroying everything close behind. Soon, a giant foot came down right behind Larxene and Axel, demolishing a building and blasting them off to the side. Axel was knocked out cold, and the last thing he whispered was, "Larxene..." Axel awoke in a strange dungeon, and his weapons were gone. Larxene was sleeping peacefully off to the side, which seemed impossible considering the harsh, cold ground that she was laying on. Axel's vision was blurred,and he couldn't see anything clearly. "...Ugh...ooh, damn, my head..." "Don't worry. The pain's only temporary," said a mysterious voice from the front of the room. "Whozzere?" said Axel, half mumbling. "Someone you might know... someone you might not," said the voice. Axel tried to get up, but only fell in the process. "I'm totally out of it," he whispered to himself. "I would be surprised if you weren't, after what The Guardian did to you," said the voice. Axel heard someone (or something) grunt. "I'm going to get right down to business," said the voice, "I have something you want, and    you have something I want. You want out of here, don't you?" Axel couldn't think clearly. He could barely think. He managed a "Y-yes..." before going back to sleep. When he awoke, he found he was fully awake, and could move and everything. First he bolted upright and looked around for Larxene. She was gone. However, the door was wide open. Axel thought about what the voice had said, "I have something you want, and you have something I want." "Oh no! Larxene!" thought Axel. He ran out the door and grabbed his weapons, which were, surprisingly, just sitting by the door. There were two halls, one to the left and one to the right. The whole place was kinda dark and scary. "This must be underground," said Axel. He ran back and forth for hours, trying to locate some sign of Larxene. "What if I've lost her for good?" he thought worriedly, but he shook his head. "I'll just have to look harder," he thought. Finally, after wandering about forever, he finally got to a large door. He tried to open it, but a rusty lock blocked him from entering. Axel burned the lock off, and busted through the door. He found himself in a pitch-black room, completely cut off from light. Axel lit a fireball and walked forward. At that moment, when he stepped forward, light appeared from under his feet. It looked like dozens of doves were flying away, leaving a pool of light from where they had just been. Soon, Axel found himself standing atop a giant pillar, with a design below his feet that looked like a boy with a Keyblade, and mug shots of what looked like his friends. Axel look around, but there was only darkness around him. A the far end of the pillar, Larxene lay sleeping. Axel ran toward her, but was pushed back by a sudden burst of lightning. "Welcome to the Station of Serenity." Axel looked around, but no one was there. When he checked behind him, he saw a figure with an Organization cloak on. When the figure turned around, Axel recognized him immediately. It was Marluxia. "Weird meeting you here, actually," he said, holding a rose and examinin   g it closely, "Because I was under the impression that Larxene was here alone, and she despises you, doesn?t she?" To hide their love, Axel and Larxene had to pretend to hate each other, so their love wouldn't be given away. Axel hated it. But no way was he going to confess it now. "She's my partner," he stated, "We're checking the worlds for heartless." "Oh. Of course. But... wait, you can't just happen upon the Station of Serenity. It takes an immense amount of one emotion to get here. Either you're in love with Larxene, or you just got chased by a huge heartless. Which is it?" asked Marluxia, taking his eyes off the rose to look at Axel. "The heartless," answered Axel, and it was perfectly true, they had gotten chased by The Guardian. But he wasn't telling Marluxia the full story. He got in the DUNGEON because of the heartless, and he'd gotten here out of worry for Larxene. "I'm not sure I believe that. Even if I did, and you were checking the worlds for heartless, that wouldn't stop us from figuring out what y   our true goal is. You wish to destroy the Door to Darkness, don't you?" 'Damn!' Axel thought, 'I didn't think they'd figure it out this early. I'm so stupid!' "There's no way in HELL I'm going to tell you!" said Axel, and he took out his weapons, and Marluxia unsheathed his scythe. Let the games begin, said Marluxia. Axel struck first. He tried a downward slash to the left, but Marluxia moved out of the way and tried an upper-cut to Axel's face. Unfortunately, it hit. Blood hit the floor and Axel yelled in pain. He threw his weapon at Marluxia, and it went straight through him. Axel teleported behind Marluxia to catch it. Marluxia kneeled over, and tried to himself with Cure. Axel saw this as the perfect moment to hit him in the back, and so he did a downward slash to Marluxia's back, but Marluxia did a backflip and ended up behind Axel. Axel turned around, and Marluxia laughed. "Look at yourself," he said with a snicker, "You look worse than she does," said Marluxia, pointing to Larxene. Axel lit his weapo  ns on fire and threw both of them at Marluxia. They both hit, going right through Marluxia. ("WHAT?!?" he shouted) The outer scar didn't show, but internaly Marluxia was dying. "I... cannot be... killed..." he stammered, de-materializing, "I'm nobody... I'm... already... dead..." Marluxia disappeared completely, but the pieces of himself formed into a sphere, and the sphere expanded so that Axel and Larxene were engulfed in it. Axel could see nothing, and soon passed out. When Axel and Larxene woke up, they were back in the Sandlot of Twilight Town. Larxene was the first to speak. "Oh, God, what just happened?" "I think we had a dream," said Axel. "Huh. It all seemed so real." said Larxene. "I know... wait! You were asleep the whole time! How would you know?? said Axel, and th   ey continued through Twilight Town. As soon as Axel and Larxene reached the Train Station, A giant black sphere came down from the sky above them. The sphere formed into a figure, and that figure was... Marluxia. "How could you think I could be defeated so easily?" he said, taking out his scythe. "Hey Axel, you know that 'dream' we had?" said Larxene. "Yeah. What about it?" said Axel, as he drew out his weapons. "I'm starting to think it wasn't a dream..." said Larxene, unsheathing her claws, and she used her speed to charge at Marluxia. From a standing viewpoint, it would have looked as though Larxene was circling around Marluxia at hyper-sonic speeds. But when she finished circling him, gashes appeared all over his body. Marluxia lashed out at Larxene, trying to cut her in two. But she used her speed to dodge it. Then Axel threw one of his weapons at Marluxia, whom the weapon went through. Axel teleported in front of Marluxia to catch it. Then, Larxene used an attack in which it appeared she went right through Marluxia at super sonic speed, but when she stood beside Axel, large gashes appeared on each side of Marluxia's torso. Marluxia used a slash attack, knocking both Axel and Larxene off their feet. They soared three feet before landing hard on their backs. Axel and Larxene got up, and Larxene charged straight at Marluxia using super-speed, and Axel threw both his weapons at Marluxia. So, the result was that Larxene went straight through Marluxia, and two seconds after that, Axel's weapons did the same. After being internally injured twice, Marluxia couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the ground and de-materialized. Panting, Axel and Larxene stopped to catch their breath. Axel stood where Marluxia's body had been, and spoke. "You can't take me down. No one wi  ll ever take me down. I will not be beaten untill I'm free. I am immortal." Axel put his arm around Larxene's shoulder and she rested her head on his chest. "Freedom has no price. I will go to any length to assure your freedom first, and then I'll worry about mine. You will not be hurt, because we are invincible when I am with you, and I will fight anyone who questions that." Larxene lifted her head and looked at Axel. she inched closer and closer, untill Axel closed the gap. Their kiss sealed their fate. Axel would destroy the Door of Darkness, and now more than ever he wanted to make that reality. (Author: Well, that's chapter 3. OK, so maybe I couldn't get my stupid computer to make it so this isn't just one huge blob... (Whacks computer. Computer grows arm and whacks back. "OW!") Thanks for reading! To all my faithfull viewers, I will have Chapter 4 up by 7-12-07, 7-13 at the latest. plz review!) 


	4. Yen Sid's Advice

(I'm really sorry, people, but I can't get my computer to put in paragraphs, so you'll have to bear with me. If you see 'NP' pop up, it's a new paragraph. Peace to the Follower!) Axel and Larxene boarded the train that would lead them to Yen Sid's Tower. Larxene had insisted that they go see him before they do anything else. Axel had protested, "No! We're Organization members, and last time I checked he didn't like us." "We're not Organization members. Not anymore. You said it yourself, "If we go, we go all   the way. Were you kidding? I hope not," Larxene had said. So, they had boarded the blue train instead of the red one, which would have taken them to Hollow Bastion. (NP) Suddenly, the train stopped. The lights went out. Axel sat up, looked around, and stared out the window. A scythe was drifting through the air, stopping at the window. It floated for ten minutes before it flew directly in Axel's direction. "GET DOWN!" he shouted to Larxene, and he tackled her to the ground. The train had been ripped in half. Axel and Larxene fell into the greenish-yellow depths below it, and above them stood Marluxia, barely alive, his data slowly diminishing. "If I am to die... I SHALL TAKE YOU WITH ME!!!" (NP) Axel grabbed Larxene's hand and threw her up so that she was floating just above the demolished train. Axel himself used his ability of fire to propel himself upward, and when he was close enough, he tackled Marluxia. "Why won't you die?" he said, holding Marluxia by his collar, "If you go, you'll be    free; free forever." "I... will not rest... until my mission is... complete!" Marluxia said, and tried to strike Axel with his scythe, but Larxene grabbed it by the handle, just in time. "Nice try," she said, and kicked him off the right half of the train into the depths below. (NP) Axel and Larxene slowly glided toward Yen Sid's Tower, trying to stay focused. The last thing flying was, was easy. You had to put your whole being into it, or you'd mess up and fall. When the couple made it to solid ground, two rows of Neo Shadows sprang up in front of them and advanced. Axel pulled out his chakra (I figured out what they were called! YAY!) and sent a wall of flame at them. Most jumped out of the way, but three or four were hit. Larxene unsheathed her kunai (I THINK that's what their called... let me know if I'm wrong) and sent a bolt of lightning that destroyed the three nearest them. Axel threw his chakra into the air, and teleported into the air to catch them. He then sent two pillars of fire down from the air, killing the remaining    Neo Shadows. (NP) "I see you have skills in battle, but that will not be enough to break the Door," said a mysterious voice. Axel landed on his feet and turned around to see Yen Sid walking toward them. Axel and Larxene dipped their heads in respect. Larxene spoke first, "Thank you for forgiving us of our past transgression, Master." "As long as you mean well in the end, you are always welcome here, my daughter." (NP) Axel lifted his head and whirled around at Larxene. "No way... why didn't you...?" Axel stammered. "I didn't think you'd believe me," said Larxene, "and it's not what you think. Master Yen Sid discovered me in the Realm of Darkness, when I was a wandering shell. So he created an artificial heart for me, and took care of me, until Xemnas came and forced Master Yen Sid to hand me over." Axel could see tears in Larxene's eyes, and she began to cry. For the first time ever, Larxene cried. Axel came up to her and gave her a hug. "Shhh... It's alright, it's okay." Larxene  's crying turned to sniffles, then eventually stopped. She returned the hug for a few seconds, then pulled away. "Master, I'd like you to meet my life partner, Axel." Axel dipped his head. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master." "Yes, I know of you. I met your friend Roxas when he left the Organization." "Roxas?! Is he... here?" said Axel, looking around wildly. "No, he left sometime ago, saying he was going to "Protect the Door," which I took as the Door to Darkness. Please, come into my quarters so we may discuss this further." (NP) Axel and Larxene sat down in the chairs in front of Yen Sid's desk. Axel asked the first question, "So does Roxas want to protect the Door or something?" "Yes. He said he wasn't going to allow his best friend to destroy the only home he had. He left two days ago, headed for Hollow Bastion. He is still there, I think," replied Yen Sid. "But Master, does that mean we'll have to fight him?" asked Larxene. "If you want to destroy the Door, then yes, I'm afraid so." "Damnit!" Axel whispered. Larxene threw him a sharp look. "Aggravating, I know. But if you want freedom, you'll have to make decisions that you'd rather not make," said Yen Sid. "No," said Axel, "we're going to go back, and think of another plan." said Axel. For the first time, Larxene decided to use a nickname to calm Axel down. "Honey, you're in denial. We can't go back." Axel sighed. "I guess, but how're we gonna... wait, did you just call me 'honey'?" That's a first. Have you gone soft?" "Only around you, but stay on topic. Master, is there a way we can destroy the Door without fighting Roxas?" said Larxene, her eyes full of curiosity. "The only way to do that would be to beat him there, and even if you did, there's still the possibility of Roxas showing up while you're in the middle of destroying the Door," Axel sighed again, but this time he knew what he had to do. "Thank you, Master. Come on Larxene, we have a lot of road to cover." "Wait, will you at least stay the night?" asked Yen Sid. (NP) Axel    and Larxene exited the Tower with a good night's rest, but that was a BIG mistake. "Roxas is probably out of Hollow Bastion by now. Damnit! I guess we'll just have to travel all night, too." Larxene put her arms around Axel's waist and buried her head in his chest. "Come on, baby. Cheer up. Like you said, we're in this 'till the end." she said. "I think I liked the other Larxene better," Axel said with a grin. "Ah, get used to it." Larxene said, punching him on the shoulder. "There's the girl I fell in love with!" (NP) Axel and Larxene stepped through the Portal to Hollow Bastion. They appeared in the middle of the town, and everything seemed quiet. That is, until a giant spiked chakra almost nailed Axel in the head. A myestrious girl about 18 ran up and kicked Axel in the chest, and he fell to the ground. Larxene landed a blow to her neck, and SHE fell to the ground, unconscious. Larxene help Axel up, and he pulled out his Chakra, listening intently. Then he heard it. Axel ducked to avoid being beheaded by a humongous sword. Axel cut the wielder's leg, and raced b  ehind him, kicking him to the floor. Eventually he felt a blow to the back of his head, and he fell to the ground, and then asleep. (NP) Axel awoke in a room filled with books and a huge computer. He sat up quickly, spotting a figure in the room. "Where?s Larxene?" he demanded. Larxene was nowhere in sight. The spikey-haired figure said, "That's for us to know and you to find out. Name's Cloud. What're you doing in my town" "Just passing through," said Axel, clenching his fists. "Right, right. I'll believe a  nyone who fillets my leg," said Cloud. "Hey. You attacked us. Don't blame me for defending myself." "I don't believe you, not because you cut my leg, but because of the outfit you're wearing." Cloud gestured toward his Organization cloak and went on, "My Nobody Zach joined once. He was murdered for helping someone who had a heart, my friend Aeris." Axel sat down and said, "I want out of this cloak, real bad. That"s why we're here." "Tell me the story and maybe I'll believe you," said Cloud. (That?s Chapter 4! I?ll have five up in two days time at the latest. So Cloud might help Axel... and Larxene is gone. Maybe they?ll find her, somewhere... PLZ REVIEW! I NEED ONE FOR EVERY CHAPTER!!! Peace to the Follower!) 


	5. Reality and Rebirth

"...So that's why we're here," said Axel, finishing his story. Cloud sighed. "I'm not sure I believe you. Why would an Organization member want out?" "We're forced into it. It's either the Organization, or we float around in darkness forever. Only a few Nobodies actually look like us, anyway. Those with lots of power are usually good candidates. Most of the Organization like being members, but about four or five of us want out. We don't like what they do. They steal hearts for analysis." Cloud closed his eyes. "Okay, let me get this straight. You and... Larxene, right? You both want out of the Organization and the only way to get out is to beat these two guys, Xenon and Lexen, who are inside the Door to Darkness, and to beat them you have to destroy the Door?" he said, opening his eyes again. "Yeah, that's pretty much it." said Axel. Cloud grabbed his crutches that were on the floor and limped toward Axel. "I'm not in the best shape of my life, but whatever. I'll buy your story, for now. But if you go back on your word at ALL... you won't be leaving here alive, got i  t?" he said. "Got it. Lead the way," said Axel, standing up. (NP) Cloud led Axel to the pathway that would take them to the castle of Hollow Bastion. Axel had his chakras unsheathed, ready to use them if needed. That time came when Cloud led Axel to a large clearing. Many dusks popped up, and Axel stood in front of Cloud. "I can't guarantee at least one won't get through," said Axel, as the dusks advanced. "Don't worry. I've got that covered," said Cloud. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard. A large bat wing grew from his back, which lifted him into the air so that his feet were only just above the ground. Cloud withdrew his sword, and said to Axel, "This only works for about an hour. Make this quick." Axel threw both his chakras in the air, and teleported upward to catch them. He sent two pillars of flame at the dusks below, eliminating three, while the others snaked away. 'I need a name for this attack...' thought Axel, floating to the ground. "I got it! Pillars of Flame! Kinda ch  eesy, but what the hay.' Axel touched ground, only to have two dusks slither towards him. Axel threw one of his chakras at the dusks, killing one. When the other dusk got too close, Axel sliced it with his other chakra. He could hear Cloud's battle cries behind him, and several slicing noises. Axel back flipped so that Cloud was in front of him, and threw his chakras at the dusks that were about to slice his good leg. As soon as the dusks were eliminated, Axel bid the chakras to return to him, an then used his Pillars of Flame attack to finish the remaining dusks. (NP) When the duo recovered, they continued their walk towards Hollow Bastion. Cloud spoke after a long silence "Thanks for saving my other leg," he said. "I guess that means I'm off the hook now,   " said Axel. "Huh?" said Cloud, not understanding. "I sliced your right leg, then saved your left one. I'm not in debt anymore." Cloud got it and chuckled a little. "You're all right. Maybe I can help you outta this mess," he offered. "Thanks, but Larxene and I can handle it. Besides, if your crutches broke, we'd have to carry you. I don't think you'd like that." said Axel. "Suit yourself," said Cloud. (NP) The two arrived at a cliff that overlooked the castle. "The others are in there, and your girlfriend, too." said Cloud. Axel looked at the Castle. It wasn't what you'd call 'Radiant', like the name of the world, and it looked like it hadn't been used in forever. Nonetheless, Axel slid down the cliff, landing on his feet at the bottom. Cloud followed, only he was gliding. the two stopped at the entrance, and Cloud opened the door. they came into a dome-shaped room where a fountain was in the middle of the floor, with two staircases on the left and right of it. On the top of the stairs was a door, with a he   artless sign on it. Axel headed up the stairs, while Cloud stayed behind. "Aren't you coming?" asked Axel, halfway up the left staircase. "I... don't like it here. You go on ahead." Axel shrugged and headed towards the door. As soon as he was through it, he felt himself being transported towards an unknown destination. As soon as it was over, he looked around and saw himself in a huge room with a gigantic rainbow colored heartless sign, and he himself was sitting in front of it. Axel turned to see eight tubes in rows of four, and Larxene was in one of them. Axel looked around and saw he was alone. 'Didn't Cloud say the others were here?' he thought. Axel quickly jumped over the edge of the upper floor and used his chakras to break the tube. Larxene fell, but Axel caught her before she hit the floor. Her beautiful eyes opened, and she smiled weakly at Axel. "I... love... you," she said, closing her eyes again. Axel smiled. He picked her up bridal style and climbed the left staircase leading to the Heartless sign shaped Portal. Axel stepped through it to find he was in a peculiar room (you know, where So  ra fought the Behemoth?). Hewalked towards the end of it, and then the whole room turned to light. Axel was consumed by it, and then he felt like he was falling. Axel held Larxene close to him, not letting go. When they hit bottom, he was in a computer room, exactly like the one in Twilight Town. "No way. We went in a huge circle?!" Axel said, standing up. "You never went anywhere, actually," said a familiar voice. (NP) "So, after we talked to Master Yen Sid, Saix turned the portal into a fake reality?" said Axel, after DiZ explained his situation. Larxene was sleeping in a sleeping bag not far off. "Yes. They caught on to your plan. You cannot leave beyond Twilight Town," said DiZ. "Then how the heck are we gonna get out of here?!" said Axel, clenching his fist in rage. "The only way you can leave is if you defeat someone with a heart, and use that heart as a key to go beyond the Twilight Town portal," said DiZ, "and I have a heart. I want you use me to go through the portal. I have had my share of life... I do not like what I have done   with it. I implore you to use my heart," said DiZ. "But... I can't. You have given me so much advice... I've concidered you a friend. How can I use you?" said Axel, looking down. "Axel, look at me. You need to get out of the Organization, before it uses Kingdom Hearts to shield the Door to Darkness. The Door will be untouchable then. Use my heart!" Axel unsheathed one of his chakras. "Thank you, DiZ, for everything. I'll miss you," said Axel, and struck down his friend. Axel felt two tears come down from each of his eyes. Axel saw the heart of his friend come up. He drained the power from it, and woke Larxene. "What's up? Axel! you're crying! What happened?!" she asked. Axel leaned in and kissed her. Larxene was taken aback. When Axel pulled away, he said, "That was for what you're about to hear. (NP) Larxene slapped Axel. "You! How could you?! He was your BEST FRIEND!!!" "Larxene, listen! He said he wanted us to do it. If we didn't, we'd be stuck here forever, and more and more Nobodies would be forced to join the   Organization! Is that what you want? Besides, once we destroy the Door, there may be a chance we can bring him back. "Well, okay, but..." "Just trust me." Axel took her hand, and together the two of them began their journey to Yen Sid's Tower once again. (NP) Meanwhile, Xemnas, Saix, and Demyx were in the Realm of Darkness, looking for new members to add to their Organization. Xemnas was the first to spot one. The figure had short, blonde hair, and a blonde goutee. He looked aged, though not by much. "Hello," said Xemnas politely, "I am called Xemnas. I am the leader of an Organization called Organization XI. Our goal is to unlock the secrets of the heart. Would you like to join us? I imagine wandering around here forever may be of some inconvinience to you." "Yes, I would love to join your Organization," said the figure, "I wish to be called Luxord. I am pleased to be in your Organization." (Author: Well, I've introduced Luxord, and now Axel and Larxene can finally go through the real portal. This chapter marks the halfway point of my story. I'm sorry for the two-day wait! Oh, and FredandGeorgetwinsoftheC.O.C.A, I need a review from you, badly. You too, Evil Riku Follower! PEACE!) 


	6. Number X: Luxord

(Author: In this chapter, we're going to take a break from Axel and Larxene, and view what's going on at the White Castle in The World That Never Was. Also, this chapter is set after Sora becomes a heartless, then is turned normal again. I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE PARAGRAGHS!!! YAY!!! Enjoy!)

Luxord looked at himself in the mirror. The cloak suited him perfectly, and everyone had taken a liking to him, maybe because he was the only one who could remember his life before becoming a Nobody, though there was one thing that made him irritated. When his original form was taken down, he remembered a red-haired figure wearing an Organization cloak striking him down. He remembered the red-head's name too, Axel. Luxord frowned at the name. "Axel will be sorry for what he did to me," thought Luxord.

Luxord sat upon his bed and looked to his desk. He'd only ben here a week and already he was consumed in his   work. To the left of his desk was a pack of cards. He loved paying card games. He loved the idea of gambling in general. Win or Lose, the outcome was always something to see. Today, Luxord was to get his weapon and element assignment. So he walked out of his room and portaled to the Alter of Naught. Everyone was here, but... wait, when Luxord counted, he only got ten, including himself. "There are two missing," he said, looking at Xemnas. "Yes. The two you speak of are traitors, and we will deal with them when the time comes. For now, we shall choose your weapon and element. What would you like them to be?" asked Xemnas, crossing his arms. Luxord realized he still had the pack of cards in his hands. He looked up at Xemnas and smiled. "I see," said Xemnas, "From now on you shall have complete control of anything related to gambling." Luxord smiled as he felt the power inside of him grow. He felt like   testing it out. He pulled out five cards, and threw them on the ground. Luxord turned into a giant card, and so did the other cards. He shuffled himself along the ground until he was satisfied, then jumped up and turned normal once again. He grabbed the cards and threw them at the ground, each one so sharp they could cut glass. Luxord sheathed his cards, and portaled to his room. This was going to be fun.

Saix and Xemnas were the only ones left on the Alter of Naught, discussing their plans to catch Axel and Larxene. "I have sent Roxas to guard the Door," said Saix. "Isn't Roxas Sora's Nobody" Wait... Sora only just turned into a heartless. Why was he here before?" said Xemnas. "We needed members, so I asked Vexen to conjure up the perfect Organization member, but why Sora's Nobody looks like Vexen's double is a mystery to me. Perhaps it is coincidence," said Saix. "No matter. As long as Axel never discovers the portal to the Door of Darkness, we've nothing to worry about," said Xemnas. Saix left, so Xemnas was the sol e person on the Alter of Naught. "Axel, why? Why run from our glorious power..."

Little did anyone know, a second figure had grown from DiZ's body. It had long, silver white hair, a gray coat, and a heartless sign on its chest. "Heh heh heh... ha ha ha... MWA HA HA HA HA!!!" It laughed, as it rose up. "I... am... complete," it said, "I am... ANSEM!!!" Ansem coaxed a dark ball from his hand, and put it into the floor of the computer room, which opened a portal in the floor. He dropped through it, and looked around. Soon, he found what he was looking for. "Guardian... submit!" said Ansem, and the Guardian appeared from the ground, and attached itself to Ansem's back. "Together, we shall rule Kingdom Hearts!" said Ansem, and disappeared.

Axel and Larxene had made it through the portal, and were walking through Radiant Garden. Axel was so weak, he could barely walk. He hadn't slept for a week, because he guarded Larxene every time she slept. Larxene was ahead of him a ways, but she turned back to Axe  l. All right, lay down. You need some sleep. I don't care if you sleep for three days, you need to rest." "But... Roxas..." "Forget him. You need to sleep." So Axel lied down on a particularly comfortable blue rock, and immediately fell asleep. Larxene watched his chest rise and fall, and she chuckled to herself. She was gonna be here for quite awhile.

Roxas cursed to himself. He had gone in a complete circle, again. Why did he keep popping up in the Computer Room? But wait... something was different here. DiZ?'s body lay on the ground, apparently dead. Roxas rushed to his side, and knew that his heart was missing. "Axel..." growled Roxas, "You desperate jerk. How could you murder your friend?" Roxas stood up, and slowly walked to the exit, but not before a voice stopped him. "Do you want to avenge me?" Roxas recognized the voice instantly. DiZ! "You're alive?" he said. "Depends on what you mean by alive," said DiZ's voice. Suddenly, a figure with long, white hair and what appeared to be a heartless strap  ped to his back appeared out of thin air. "I am not alive by your standards. However, my soul lives as a heartless. I am called Ansem." said the figure. Ansem was floating, his feet only just above ground. "Your...a heartless?" said Roxas, drawing his Keyblades. "Yes, my boy, I am. But unlike ordinary heartless, I do not wish to claim the hearts of others. I wish to study the heartless, and here I am, one of them. Now I know how they think and feel, the power they possess," said Ansem, "Allow me to share that power with you!" With that, Ansem sent a shockwave at Roxas.

Axel awoke two days later, rested and fully charged. Larxene was up and greeted him. "Morning, sleepyhead!" she said, unusually happy. "Who are you and what have you done with Larxene?" said Axel, still a little groggy. "Oh, you. Just because I'm a jerk around others doesn't mean I have to be around you!" "OK, Miss Sunshine," said Axel. Larxene tackled him, so that she was directly on top of him. (A/N: Don't expect no lemon. This is rated   K+!) She put her hand on the back of his head and leaned in to kiss him. After they had kissed for about 2 minutes, they got up and were on their way. Finally, they had arrived at the castle of Hollow Bastion. The couple entered, and were greeted by a horde of Shadows and Soldiers. "I get dibs on the shadows," said Larxene, releasing a bolt of lightning at them. "Dang! I never get Shadows," said Axel. Grinning, he took out his Chakras and let loose on the shadows. First he used his Pillars of Flame attack. T  hen, while still in midair, he threw his chakras at two Soldiers. Teleporting to the ground, Axel sent two beams of fire out of his hands. When he had made short work of his prey, he retrieved his chakras and looked to Larxene. She was done before he was. "I wish I had super speed," he said. "You could have, when you chose your powers!" said Larxene. Axel slapped himself in the forehead.  
Axel and Larxene fought their way through the castle, eventually ending up in the room with the keyhole in it. They stepped through the keyhole, and ended up in a room that looked like the hold of a ship. "Now what?" said Larxene. They heard footsteps outside the door, and when it was opened, the recognized who it was. "DiZ?" said Axel. (That's Chapter 6. So sue me, it's really late and I want to read before bed. To those who have followed the story thus far, bless you! ... and review. PEACE!)  



	7. Battle on the Black Pearl

(Well, peoples, here's chapter 7. If it not success, I will be execute. Remember to review. FredandGeorgetwinsoftheC.O.C.A, you will review. Or Axel cuts your hands off so you can't write. JK. Enjoy!)

"DiZ?" said Axel, looking at the man in the doorway, "Is that you? Why are you wearing an Organization...!" Realization hit Axel like a baseball. "No, not you," he said. "Yes, my boy, I'm afraid so. Do not be alarmed, I only come with a message. Give me my heart, or be eliminated." said Luxord. Axel looked at Luxord, unsheathing his chakras. At the same time, a tear ran down his cheek. "I'm sorry. We used your heart to get out of the fake world Saix made. You wanted us to, remember?" Unfortunately, that was the one thing Luxord did not recall. "If you're going to lie to me, I guess I'll have to kill you." Luxord said, and pulled out his deck of cards. "Have you ever gambled, Axel? It's quite fun. The only trick is to get lucky," he said, "and today, your luck just ran out." Luxord threw two razor-sharp card   s at Axel, which pinned him to the wall. Axel tried to struggle, but could not get out of the cards' grasp. "Welcome to Port Royal," said Luxord.

Larxene, aware of what was happening, sent a bolt of lightning at Luxord, whom it hit and sent him flying to the other wall. Larxene released Axel from his captors and together then went up to the deck. Strangely, there was no one driving the boat. "Why is everyone gone?" asked Larxene. "If there's Nobody there, how can you see them?" said Luxord, appearing from the hold, "You can't see them because your Nobody, and if you can't see them, how can they see you? It's simple, really," Luxord took out five cards and made them huge. He combined with one while the others had copies of him on them. Luxord shuffled himself along the ground, and finally popped up again, as did the other cards, and they started to attack Axel and Larxene (We'll call this attack Card Shuffle).

One card came spinning at Axel, and it hit him, s  ending him flying across the ship (The Black Pearl), until he landed at the very edge of it. Axel almost lost his balance trying to stay on the thin pole at the front of the ship, but quickly recovered and charged at the nearest card, which was ripped in half by his chakras. Unfortunately, that wasn't the real Luxord. A card came spinning at Axel, knocking him flat on his stomach. He hoped Larxene wasn't having the same luck. Fortunately, he was right, though she was having a difficult time. She used her speed to dodge the two cards that were trying to slice her into fourths, but they always seemed to be right there whenever she stopped to take a breath. Larxene sent a bolt of lightning a one card, sending it flying over the edge into the sea. Meanwhile, Axel had recovered and was fighting off two cards, one of which was the real Luxord.

Luxord hadn't even begun to release his full power yet. He was just warming up. He returned to his original form, and beckoned his cards back into his deck. Axel and Larxe  ne watched as he teleported to the steering wheel of the ship, and started chucking razor-sharp cards at Axel and Larxene, very fast. Axel and Larxene did their best to avoid them, and succeeded. Axel ran as fast as he could while a trail of cards followed him. He then jumped all the way up to Luxord, and while still in midair, slashed him across the stomach. Larxene quickly joined Axel, as Luxord got up and took out his dice. He threw it on the ground, and they read 12. He instantly gained Larxene's claws and powers. "What the--?" said Larxene, and then understood. "Whatever roll he gets, is what Organization member he gets the powers of!" she said to Axel, before getting blasted off of the steering wheel area to the deck below by a bolt of lightning.

"Larxene!" Axel yelled, before charging at Luxord. Axel went to slash Axel across the stomach again, but this time Luxord blocked it with his claws. "You have much to learn, my boy," said Luxord, before kicking Axel all the way across the ship unt   il he fell into the sea below. "AXEL!" yelled Larxene, and she used her speed to charge straight at Luxord, but he moved out of the way before she hit him, resulting in Larxene crashing into the wall behind the steering wheel. Luxord used his speed to slash Larxene in a flurry, and afterwards she was weak.

"Time for you to say goodbye," said Luxord, but then Axel's chakra appeared, going straight through Luxord's chest. "Goodbye, said Axel, and he pulled his weapon out of Luxord, and Luxord fell to the ground. Axel picked Larxene up bridal style, and she fell asleep. Axel opened up a portal that took them to the town of Port Royal, and they made their way up to the large building that stood above the town (The one where Sora first appeared in Port Royal in KH 2).

However, Luxord had not been defeated, not in the least. Sure, he'd been injured, but he had plenty of energy. He quickly gave chase, and as soon as Axel figured out that Luxord was right behind him, he ran as fast as he could without dropping   Larxene, and after a while he hid behind a wall. Luxord looked around, checking alley after alley in search of Axel. When he went to check one particular alley, a foot tripped him. Obviously, Axel had been the culprit. Axel ran up the stairs of the large building, and at the top stood the portal. He felt a bolt of lightning hit his back, causing him to fall and drop Larxene. Luxord stood over Axel. "One last chance, Axel, give me my heart..." he said, "...or I kill Larxene AND you." Axel tripped Luxord, and quickly got up. He   unsheathed his chakras, just as Luxord recovered. "heh heh, this will be interesting," said Luxord, and he pulled out his dice. He threw them on the ground, and the sum was 13. Somehow, in some weird way, it ended up 13. Luxord gained two keyblades, the Oathkeeper and Oblivion. He charged at Axel, who threw his chakras in the air, and performed his Pillars of Flame attack. It seemed to have an effect on Luxord, as he was pushed back. Axel took this opportunity to grab Larxene and jump into the portal, leaving Luxord to curse at himself. As Axel was enveloped in the familiar light, he thought about how he had yet another enemy to deal with, adding to his ever growing list, which he hoped would stop growing, very soon.  
(Author: Thank you for reading chapter seven. Well? Love it? Hate it? Review and let me know! I shall update soon!!!)


	8. Tragedy

(Welcome to chapter 8. I need reviews so badly, I'm desperate. In this chapter, the Organization comes up with another plan to stop Axel and Larxene, and this one might just be the deadliest one yet...)

It had been two months since Axel and Larxene's battle with Luxord, and the Organization had spent all of its extra time by coming up with another plan. Luxord had an idea that he was to state in front of the entire Organization today, and he was sure it would work. 'Flawless' was what he proudly called it whenever he thought about it, and as he reached the Alter of Naught, he got that same thought again.

"Well, Luxord," said Xemnas, as soon as the crowd had quieted down, "Please state your plan involving the defeat of our traitors." Luxord stepped forward and quickly scanned the crowd, seeing the impatient faces of his accomplices. "The secret is..." said Luxord, as the Organization leaned their heads in, "Water," he stated simply. Demyx was the first to speak, "Water?" he repeated, looking a little down. "Y  es, water," said Luxord. "Interesting. Please explain," said Xemnas. Luxord wasted no time. "You see, Water can short out electricity, and at the same time douse fire. If we send out Demyx, accompanied by Xemnas and myself, we might be able to postpone their powers long enough for the two of us to finish them off," he finished. The rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement, and it was settled.

They would go through with the plan.

XxxxXxxxX 

Axel and Larxene had finished going through almost half of the worlds, and boy, were they beat. When they came to the portal that lead out of Olympus Coliseum (KH II Version), Axel stopped. "Come on, lazy bones! We gotta hurry, or Roxas will get there first!" said Larxene. "I'm so tired though," he said, sitting down, "Let me rest for just a sec..." he said, before falling asleep. Larxene rolled her eyes, 'He always was lazy,' she thought. So she sat there next to the sleeping Axel, watching his   chest rise and fall... and she was soon lost in thought. She thought about their current predicament, and how they would get out of it. Roxas was probably already at the Door by now. She sighed. It wasn't going to get any easier for the couple anytime soon.

Axel woke up a few hours later, still groggy but capable of traveling. They stepped through the portal, and as the increasingly familiar light began to envelope them, they found themselves in a strange place. They were on a ship, like the Black Pearl, except... it was red. Another thing was that instead of being near a town, instead they were floating near a strange island. It appeared that the ship was permanently anchored, so there was no way of getting to the island (where the portal probably resonated) without swimming. "We could always fly over," said Larxene. "Good thought, but I think if we flew over water we might be too preoccupied with fear of falling in it, and so we wouldn't be completely concentrated with the actuall flying," said Axel. "Guess you'  re right," said Larxene.

Meanwhile, in a secluded room in the White Castle of The World That Never Was, Demyx thought over what he had just heard. He, Luxord, and Xemnas were to go to Neverland and drown Axel and Larxene in water. He didn't want to, not in the least. They Larxene was the closest thing he had to a friend, and whenever Axel was around she would calm down, when she was usually kinda fiesty. He never knew why, but that didn't matter. They were close to him. Then the other side of his conscience spoke.

"You can't betray the Organziation! They took you in when you needed it most!"

"Yeah, but Axel and Larxene are my friends,"

"Pfft. Whatever. Nobodies don't have 'friends.'"

"Yeah, they do!"

"Whatever you say. Anyway, forget your so-called 'friends' and get real. Follow your orders, Demyx!"

Demyx thought on it for awhile, then decided. He grabbed his Sitar, and made for the entrance to the White Castle.

Axel and Larxene paced around the deck of the mysterious red ship, trying to think of some w   ay to get to land. Suddenly, the whole ship rocked. Axel grabbed the side of the port, and Larxene the starboard. The ship rocked faster and faster, until the entire ship stood on it's port side. Axel could barley hang on. He let go but not before being caught by Larxene. Suddenly, the whole boat tipped over, and Axel and Larxene fell into the water below, awaiting their doom.

However, something was different.

Axel didn't feel any pain at all, and Larxene wasn't shorting out. Of course, this was because they were trapped in an air bubble. Axel and Larxene felt their surroundings, and confirmed their thoughts. They were, in fact, trapped in a giant bubble. Soon they were lifted upward until they were completely out of the water. When they saw the ship, they felt very uneasy.

It was exactly the way it was when they arrived.

The bubble popped when they reached the deck, and Axel and Larxene hit the ground, hard. When they recovered, three Organization portals appeared. Demyx and Xemnas stepped out of two of    the three portals, which closed behind them. Xemnas grabbed Larxene and unsheathed his laser sword. He held her arm against her back with one hand, and his laser sword hovered in front of her neck. Axel unsheathed his chakras, which blazed with fire as soon as they appeared.

"You won't want to be doing that, Axel."

Luxord stepped out from the third portal, which closed be hind him. He held a razor-sharp card in the space between his index finger and his middle one, ready to throw at Axel. He also had a pack of cards attached to his belt, in case he missed."You wouldn't want to sacrifice young Larxene here, would you?" he said, pointing with the card toward Xemnas and Larxene. Axel looked at Larxene, and saw fear written all over her face. Axel cooled down and his chakras faded. Xemnas laughed. "Now, Demyx, please douse our firey friend," he said. Demyx pointed his Sitar at Axel, and said, "Sorry. Hoped you liked the bubble."

Just as Demyx was about to shoot water at Axel, he swung his Sitar at Xemnas,    and he hit him square in the forehead. Larxene was released, and she drew her daggers. Xemnas got up and unsheathed his other laser sword, and he charged at Larxene. Demyx strummed his guitar, and summoned fifteen water guitarists, who tried to beat Xemnas to a pulp. Almost all of them failed, so Demyx kept summoning up new ones by strumming his guitar. "Dance, Water, Dance!" he shouted. (A/N: So THAT'S where he got that from, lol)

Luxord watched with shock, and Axel took this time to charge at him. Axel performed his Pillars of Flame attack, and as he glided to the ground, Luxord regained his strength quick enough to chuck card after card at Axel, who sliced every one into pieces. Luxord rolled his die, and it came up six. Luxord gained Axel's powers, and this unnerved the original. Luxord threw his chakras at Axel, who dived to the left just in time. He performed a cartwheel, and when he was on his right hand he threw his left chakra, and vise versa. Axel jumped on his left hand and landed on his feet. H   e returned his chakras to himself, and Luxord, who had dodged Axel's cartwheel attack, (we'll call it 'Flame Wheel') dropped his chakras and used his Card Shuffle attack. All five cards came spinning at Axel. He managed to block two, but couldn't take it all and ducked. As soon as the cards passed over his head, he ran about two feet ahead and turned around. Standing there was Luxord, three cards in between his knuckles on his right hand.

"You can't win, Axel," said Luxord, chuckling as he said it, "I will eventually get my heart back, so why not just give it to me now?" Axel sheathed his chakras and clenched his fists. "Because you're the one who told me to use it to get out of Saix's fake world in the first place!" he shouted.

?Yes, and I suppose pigs can fly," said Luxord.

"I'm serious! Don't you remember anything you said to me? Back in the computer room?"

"Don't lie to me boy, it's aggrivating!"

Without warning, Luxord used dice and made them land on twelve. He used Larxene's speed to grab Larxene herself, anf sped ba  ck to where he was standing, on the railing. "Now look here, Axel," said Luxord angrily, "Either you give my heart, or I cast her in." Axel screamed in his head. How did it come to this?

"I can't give you your heart, Luxord! YOU TOLD US TO TAKE IT!" shouted Axel.

"Then I have no choice," said Luxord, and he threw Larxene over the edge.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!" screamed Axel, and as Luxord disappeared, he looked over the railing to find Larxene spasming violently, and electricity everywhere. Soon, it stopped, and   all that was left was her cloak. Demyx, who had been fighting with Xemnas until he, too, disappeared, went overboard and grabbed the cloak. He gave it to Axel, who held it bridal style.

"No... no... Larxene... I wasn't... I couldn't... oh, Larxene," he said, and he fell to his knees, crying his head off. "Come on Axel," said Demyx, "Let's go."

(End of Chapter 8. I know what your thinking, "KILL DARGONMASTER999!!!" But don't worry, it will get better. Remember how Axel said,  
"If we get destroy the Door, we might be able to bring DiZ back!" Remember that? DiZ isn't the only one who might come back... see? There's hope! Anyway, plz review! DM999 out!)


	9. Now or Never

(Get ready for... Chapter 9! Da Da DAAAAA! Er, anyway, in this chapter, we take an insight on Roxas' doings, and Axel and Demyx face off against impossible odds...)

Roxas woke up.

He had tried to get up, but his arms were too tired to lift a potato chip. He felt the pain along with the memories of his battle. Ansem had wasted no time in beating the living daylights out of him, which was literally true because he had been knocked out. After about twenty minutes, Roxas finally gained the strength to get himsel  f off the cold floor. However, he couldn't stand up, so he sat there on all fours, cursing at himself. After another ten minutes, he could finally stand up, but he had to use his Oathkeeper as a cane. He limped over to the computers, and he found out why he was here.

Saix had created a false reality.

Roxas almost bashed the computers in, but then he saw that Saix's Reality was currently offline. He hurried to the teleporter and disappeared in seconds. He waded through the light until he found what he was looking for. Th  e End of the World. This was one of the few 'Forgotten Worlds' that existed in the universe. Roxas went through the portal, and found himself flying above a mountain, and he knew that this was home to (I don't remember his name, so...) Caladbolg. Caladbolg was a giant winged demon more powerfull than the Guardian. However, he saw that it was nowhere to be seen. So, Roxas flew to the bottom of the Mountain, until he came to a door. Before going through it, a voice stopped him.

"Following orders, are we?"

Roxas turned to see Vexen, grinning. Roxas limped forward. "Wipe that smile off your face Vexen," he said, "Before I do it for you. I know that you took some of Sora's DNA to created me: a puppet. Until I became real, that is. You used me to protect the Door to Darkness, not caring if I lived or died to do it. Now I know the real reason the Organization wants the Door protected: so no one can free themselves from this prison." Vexen's smile faded, and was replaced by a scowl. "You're in way over your head    boy," he growled, "Lexaeus will be here any moment, followed by Zexion. Together, the four of us are going to be the Organization's last resort against Axel and, our newest traitor, Demyx." Roxas smirked, and drew his other keyblade. "I'm not going down fighting my best friend," he said, "I'm going down fighting you."

Vexen revealed his shield and sent a wave of ice at Roxas. Roxas, who suddenly and strangely felt re-energized, front-flipped over it and did a downward slash at Vexen. However, Roxas only hit the shield. Roxas touched ground and threw all he had at Vexen: slashing, uppercuts, downcuts, everything. It seemed to be working, because Vexen was slowing down. Roxas finally made contact with his two-keyblade slash, which cut Vexen's stomach and sent him flying. Roxas decided not to wait for Vexen's back up, so he dashed for the door. However, it was consumed in ice before Roxas could get to it. "You're not going anywhere," said Vexen.

Roxas turned around, and saw Vexen with a bloody nose and two po  rtals behind him, which Lexaeus and Zexion stepped out of. "You, Roxas, are really starting to get on my nerves," said Vexen. "Well, maybe if all you didn't think about was power, we might actually get somewhere!" Roxas retaliated. "Lexaeus! Dispose of him," said Vexen, and Lexaeus took his Tomahawk in hand and bashed Roxas against the frozen door. Roxas had been knocked out, again.

Roxas woke up in a sort of prison cell in the White Castle (the one Kairi was trapped in but then Namine busted her out of), and he realized he had been beaten. Roxas punched the ground, and his fist throbbed. He didn't care. They had won. They had sucessfully taken him out, and here he was: a prisoner. All he could hope for now was that Axel, Larxene, and Demyx could get to the Door to Darkness in    time. before the Organization permanently locked it. Though he had a bad feeling something terrible had happened...

(Meanwhile, on the Jolly Roger...) "Come on Axel," said Demyx to his sobbing friend, "Let's get out of here." Axel stood up, still carrying Larxene's cloak bridal-style. "I will kill Luxord," he said, "I will stand over his fading corpse and tear his cloak to shreads. I will avenge you, Larxene." with that, Axel threw the cloak over his shoulder and flew over the sea, using his newfound conifidence to get onto the strange island. Once there, he created a bridge using his chakras, so Demyx could get across. After the two spent countless hours trying to get through the islnad, they found the portal and were transported to the End of the World, the place where the Door to Darkness was located. "We're here, Larxene," Axel whispered to her cloak.

They walked across the water towards the ring of rocks in the distance, and Axel spoke, breaking the silence between them. "Thank you, Demyx, for ever   ything," he said. "No problem," said Demyx, "But hows about we focus on getting to the Door, huh?" Axel nodded. "Sounds good," he said. As they walked along, many dark spheres began to rise out of the ground. Axel and Demyx were careful not to touch any of them, for they knew that if they did... well, it would be a very challenging battle, anyway. The two manuvered their way across the sea, and found a strange portal. They stepped through it and found themselves floating above a mountain. Axel and Demyx were quick to fly to the bottom, which held a mysteriously frozen door.

"I'll take care of it," said Axel, "Here, hold this." He gave Demyx Larxene's cloak, which he carefully placed over his shoulder. Axel unsheathed his Chakras and sent two beams of fire at the door. The ice quickly melted, and Axel, now carrying Larxene's cloak, signaled Demyx to follow him through the door. Demyx followed Axel through the door, but instead of feeling that familiar light envelope them and take them to the Door, they were enveloped    in Darkness. Axel and Demyx felt themselves fall into the Darkness, and they touched ground soon after. Axel turned to Demyx, and he could see him just fine, despite the Darkness surrounding them. Axel and Demyx saw Organization portals pop up everywhere, and the entire Organization came out of each of them. The all unsheathed their weapons, and Luxord spoke, "Axel, you are a traitor to our Organization, and henceforth shall be battled until death takes you. Have you any last words?" Axel smiled and unsheathed his flaming chakras.

"Well Demyx, it's now or never. You ready?" he said.

"Always ready, buddy."

"Alright. Let's do it."

Luxord smiled and shouted, "Attack!" The entire Organization charged at Axel, starting with Vexen. He tried to bash Axel with his shield, but Axel slashed him off to the side. Next was Lexaeus. He tried to down-slash Axel, but Axel side-stepped out of the way and kicked Lexaeus to the side. Next was Zexion, and he used Thundaga on Axel, which unfrotunately for him, hit. Axel was flown ac   ross the Darkness, landing hard on his back. He felt a sharp pain to the head, for as soon as Axel recovered, Saix had bashed Axel's head, and was knocked out. He felt a light surrounding him, and a familiar voice filled his head.

?Hey, Axel. Buck up. Demyx can't hold out forever against those goons."

"Larx...ene?" Axel said weakly, "Is... that you?" Axel looked up to find the beautiful maiden dressed in a white T-shirt and tan khaki pants, with a black necklace that resembled the Organization necklace. Axel stood up slowly, admiring her pretty face. "You're... at peace, then?" he said. "Yep!" said the blonde, lacing her hands behind her back and bouncing on her heels. She leaned up and kissed Axel, and Axel felt a strange kind of energy form inside him. "Those are my former Organization powers. Use them well. You can't come to where I am yet, so help Demyx! I'll se you again, Axel. One day. Maybe sooner than you think," said Larxene, and Axel felt himself drown in Darkness, to the exact place he had fainted in. He woke up and stood up quickly, l  ooking in Demyx's direction. The blonde was using his water summoning to put up a shield, but it wasn't working that well. Axel used his Pillars of Flame attack on Demyx's attackers, and he found that it had a wider range, as the pillars were thrice their normal size. Also, he felt that electricity was an added effect on his enemies.

Axel easily used his speed and power to break through his opposers, and found Luxord, at the very back. Axel stood before Luxord, his flame growing to engulf his entire body. "You use my friends..." The flame grew to Axel's elbows, "...You try to kill me..." it engulfed his body... "...And you killed Larxene..." it engulfed his entire being, and Axel was on fire, with sparks of lightning growing as a shield around him. "...but now, I'm going to destroy you." Luxord took out his dice, but Axel used his Lightning-Fire to burned them to nothing but ashes. "No tricks, Luxord. How about... some skill for once?" sa  id Axel.

Luxord took out a card, and it turned up King. Soon, the entire card formed into the King's Sword, steel and all. Luxord charged at Axel, and used a downward slash. Axel parried it, and Luxord continued to strike at the now super-powerful red-head, and every time Axel parried his attacks. Axel soon grew bored of this and struck Luxord with a powerful Lightning-Fire Bolt. Luxord fell to the ground, with fear in his eyes. "I swore that I'd avenge Larxene, and here I am... standing over your almost d  ead body. Goodbye, Luxord." Axel struck Luxord where his heart was supposed to be, and Luxord gasped. He slowlly started to fade, unil only his cloak was left. Axel burned that, too, until nothing was left. He cooled dwon and turned around. He had knocked out all the Organization members except Demyx to get here. Also, when Axel looked behind him, the Door to Darkness appeared, with a portal in front of it. Axel looked at Demyx, who nodded, and Axel said,

"This is it. Once I defeat Xenon and Lexen, I'm free."

With that, Axel stepped into the portal, followed by Demyx. The second-to-last step towards freedom.

(and that's Chapter 9. Told you it was longer! Anywho, The Final Battle, which is the last chapter, might not be posted for a little while. Don't fret, I'll post it as ASAP, which might be in a week, or possibly sooner. PEACE!)


	10. The Final Battle

Chapter X: The Final Battle _Chapter X: The Final Battle_

Axel stepped through the portal.

After he did, he braced himself from an attack from some enemy. However, inside the portal, everything seemed peaceful… except for the sight. There were pools of darkness everywhere, and he could see yellow eyes poking out of them. Axel gripped his chakra tightly. He looked left, then right. This peacefulness was making him anxious. He turned back to Demyx, but didn't see him standing there. It seemed darkness was his only company.

After a while, Axel gathered his senses and walked forward. There wasn't anything to walk to, but he continued his strive forward, constantly looking around for any sign of danger. Nothing. Axel grew more nervous by the second, and just when he thought he was safe…

"**Greetings, Axel."**

Axel immediately turned 180 degrees, his body braced for attack. However, nothing was there. Confused, Axel looked around wildly; trying to locate the source of the voice he had heard. Then, he heard it again:

"**Do not be afraid. I am not here to fight you."**

Axel, not convinced, spoke. "Where are you?" he asked strictly, his weapons still raised.

"Nowhere you now of. Or maybe I'm right in front of you. How can you tell, when darkness is all you see?" said the voice.

"How about you start making sense?" said Axel.

"I'm not speaking nonsense. You simply do not understand. However, that is beside the point. I have been waiting for you…"

"I'm sure you have, weirdo…"

"Silence. I am prepared to make you an offer."

"Really? What could a mysterious voice have to offer me, I wonder?"

"Do not test me. Though I do not wish to hurt you, I will not hesitate to change my mind. Anyway, I want you to join my army."

"What army?"

"The army of darkness. I know you want to escape your Organization, and what better way than to join the almighty armies of the dark?"

"Wow, that sounds… extremely uninteresting."

"You refuse?"

"I do refuse, thanks for asking."

"Then you have no purpose to me. Prepare to make the transition from Nobody to nothing!"

At that moment, a huge, black spear fell from the sky and landed two inches from Axel. He looked up to see another one headed straight for his head. Axel back-flipped out of the way; the spear landing where he had been only seconds before. Axel ran toward the portal as spear rained down from above, trying to nail him. A spear suddenly went through his cloak, dragging him to the ground. Axel tried to crawl away as spears landed all around him, and just when he thought he was free, he felt a sharp pain in his back, uttered Larxene's name, and blacked out.

Roxas wandered around his cell, waiting anxiously for his daily bread and water. He'd been waiting for three hours, and no one had come. Sighing, Roxas slumped to the floor and gave up. Had he been stronger, he would have taken this opportunity to escape. However, he could barely walk without getting a headache, so he'd given that up, too. The worst part about his condition was that he couldn't die, so he couldn't be "put out of his misery" either. Everything was hopeless now, and nobody was around to help him out of it. Unless Axel succeeded, this would go on forever. "Axel… don't give up as I have… you… have to… do it… ugh…"

With that, Roxas blacked out.

Axel woke up in a strange place. There were huge holes everywhere, and the whole place was a mix of black and white. Looking in front of him, he found a silver haired man in a glowing Organization cloak with an extremely long sword standing there. He spoke in a deep voice.

"Welcome to the Room of Light and Dark, Axel."

Axel realized he was air, with chains tied to each hand and each foot. Axel heated up his hands and feet, and burned the chains off. He materialized his chakra into his hands, and quickly charged at the man. The man opened his hand into Axel's face just as Axel approached him, and then unleashed a giant globe of darkness into his face. Axel was knocked off his feet, soared twenty feet across the room, and landed hard on his back.

"Fool. You cannot defeat the founder of the Organization!" said the man, and Axel figured

"Y-you're Xenon?!" said Axel, quickly getting up.

"You could not tell by looking at me? You really are quite stupid, you know."

"Shut up!"

Axel charged at Xenon, but Xenon simply knocked him aside again. Axel Got up once more, and tried to attack Xenon. Again, Xenon knocked him aside.

"Why do you even try?" asked Xenon, looking down at Axel, "Why not simply give up your feeble attempts to defeat me, and join my almighty army?"

"You… can take your… army and… shove it…" Axel said meekly.

"I don't think you're in a very good condition to insult me. Do you?"

Axel tried to get up again, but Xenon held him down with his foot. "It's time for you to go, Axel." Xenon raised his hand, and began charging a huge fireball in his open palm. Axel closed his eyes, and prayed that Larxene would be there to greet him in the afterlife… but then…

"Get away from him, Xenon."

Axel heard that familiar voice, and lay there rigid. He then felt Xenon be blasted off of him, and land many feet away. Axel looked up.

"My God… Larxene?!"

(WHOA! You probably saw that coming, but oh well.

Find out what happens next in Chapter XI: The Final Battle Part II! R&R peeps!)


	11. The Final Battle: Part II

Chapter XI: The Final Battle: Part II _Chapter XI: The Final Battle: Part II_

PREVIOUSLY…

"Get away from him, Xenon."

Axel heard that familiar voice and froze. He suddenly felt the weight of Xenon's foot released from his back, and quickly regained himself. Axel looked back, and couldn't believe what he was seeing…

"My God… Larxene?!"

NOW…

"Hey, Axel."

Axel stared at her in amazement, "Is it… really you?" he asked. "Yes, it's me!" Larxene said, with a mock-offended tone in her voice, "Now, are you going to help me kick this guy's butt or what?" Axel watched her zoom towards Xenon, ready to attack. Axel followed her, and thought about her appearance for a split second.

Her blonde hair had grown down to her shoulders, and she had been wearing a black shirt with black khakis. She had an angelic glow to her skin, and her knives seemed to be generating electricity. Axel shook his head and ran to help Larxene. He would ask what had happened to her later.

Larxene jumped over Xenon's sword, just as he swung it at her. She kicked him in the forehead, back-flipped off her kick, then sent her knives straight into his chest. Xenon glowed with red energy for a second, then the knives exploded. Larxene materialized more into her hands and ran at him. Larxene quickly zoomed behind Xenon, but her knocked her away at the last second. Axel jumped at Xenon, and tried to slash him with his chakra. Xenon raised his sword and blocked Axel's attack, pushing his sword with his other hand and sending Axel flying. In the air, Axel preformed his Pillars of Flame attack, then teleported down to the ground to see what effect his attack had had on Xenon.

When the smoke cleared, Axel saw Xenon standing fully straight, and his attack had done little to no damage to Xenon. Xenon swung his sword at Axel, and Axel somersaulted away from Xenon's attack. Regaining himself, Axel threw his chakra at Xenon. They sliced through him, and Axel teleported to the other side of Xenon to catch his weapons. Larxene charged at Xenon at super-sonic speed and slashed him across the side. She stopped, turned around, and repeated her action. While she did this over and over, Axel summoned a fireball and shot it at Xenon. Xenon knocked Larxene away, but the fireball slammed into his face and sent him to he ground. Axel sped to Xenon's side, and placed his foot on Xenon's chest, crushing it. Axel pointed his open palm at Xenon's forehead, then fired a fireball into his head, lighting Xenon's mind on fire. Xenon writhed with pain, then smiled. He shot up, blasted Axel thirty feet in the air, jumped up, slashed him down to the ground, then gently floated down to Axel's side.

"Face it. You're powers are feeble compared to my strength. Why not join my army? You would be much happier there than here fighting me," said Xenon.

"You… really aren't… going to shut up… about your stupid… army, are you?" Axel said under the weight of Xenon's boot. "I'm only offering you the chance to be great again. Stop this feeble squabbling between you and I and join me." "Sorry," Axel said, "The answer's still no." Axel took Xenon's foot and twisted it. Xenon grunted in pain, and Axel teleported behind him, took his chakra, and ran his entire chakra through Xenon's back, just as he had done to Vexen so long ago.

Larxene recuperated and turned in Axel and Xenon's direction. She grinned in satisfaction at the sight of Axel's weapon through Xenon's back. They had won, she thought, it was over. But then, Xenon back-kicked Axel to the ground, and gripped his sword. Larxene rushed to help, but it was too late. Xenon ran his sword through the place where Axel's heart would've been, if he had had one.

"No!" Larxene yelled, and Axel looked over at her. He muttered a strained "I love you" and lay still. Xenon pulled the sword from Axel's chest and turned to Larxene. "Do not be troubled. He is perfectly fine." he said.

"Are you kidding me?! I'm going to defeat you and free us both!" Larxene yelled. Xenon held up his hand.

"Wait," he said, "Listen. Even if you had both defeated me, the Organization would still exist. I founded it, but I do not hold control of it. So you see, the only way out of the Organization would be to defeat every single one of them, including yourself."

"I know," said Larxene, "But I also know that-"

"Aren't you listening? Even if you defeat me, the Organization would still exist. However, since my sword helped to create the cloak of the Organization, an easier but more complicated way out would be to die by my sword, since it has the power to return the hearts of those who have lost their."

"So why did you…"

"…Invite Axel to join my "army of darkness"? That was to provoke him to fight me. My plan was to defeat then free the both of you, but you put up a bigger fight than I expected… look!" Xenon pointed to Axel's body, "This is how you were able to return."

Axel's body rose into the air, and glowed with a blinding light. It burst, and revealed Axel, wearing a black shirt and black khakis, floating in the air. His body was turned upright, and he fell to his knees. Axel opened his eyes, and looked up with a jolt. He stood when he saw Xenon, and was halfway through pulling out his chakra when Larxene said, "Wait! Don't do it!" Axel looked at her with a confused expression, and Larxene began to tell him what Xenon had told her only moments before…

Roxas woke with a jolt. He found Axel, dressed in a black shirt and black khakis, shaking his shoulder. Roxas smiled weakly, and said "You… did it… you've… freed all of us…" "Well, not all of us." Axel said. He pulled out a sword, and before Roxas could even blink, Axel stabbed him the place where his heart would've been, and everything when white. Roxas felt warmth in his chest, and knew a heart had entered him. He felt rejuvenated and energetic, and he was filled with happiness…

Roxas awoke on the ground a few minutes later, and didn't feel week or tired at all. He stood up quickly, and instantly noticed his clothing had changed (he's wearing the clothes he was wearing in KH II). He looked straight ahead, and found Axel, still standing there with the sword. "What…?" Roxas began, and Axel explained what had happened. When he had finished, Roxas asked, "Well, what now?" "Well, now we go live!" Axel said, and opened a portal. He and Roxas stepped through it into Twilight Town's Sandlot. Roxas and Axel went to join Larxene, who was waiting a few yards away. Axel planted a kiss on Larxene's lips, and Roxas mocked them by shouting, "Aw!!" Axel chased him around the Sandlot, and Axel had finally discovered the meaning of the word "peace".

_THE END_

(Think that's all? Not a bit! Ill post the Epilogue soon, so don't be a stranger! Read & Review, PLEASE!!)


	12. The Epilogue

Chapter XII: Epilogue _Chapter XII: Epilogue_

Axel sat by Larxene on the roof of their house in Twilight Town. She leaned against his chest, and he put his arm around her. They stared into the sunset, both thinking about their past ordeals. Then, Larxene sighed happily.

"We finally did it," she said.

"I know. I can hardly believe it myself," said Axel. Larxene sighed again.

"Are you okay? You sound tired," Axel said.

"Well, duh." Larxene said, "We just finished escaping from an eternal curse, my friend."

"That's true," Axel said. He stood up.

"Why don't we turn in?" Axel suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Larxene said, standing up as well.

Axel and Larxene walked toward the door in the roof that led to their attic. Larxene went down the ladder first, and Axel hesitated. He turned toward the sunset to the West, and thought about DiZ's sacrifice. Axel closed his eyes.

_I won't ever forget what you did for us, _Axel thought,_ I hope you're at peace, wherever you might be..._


End file.
